Nashville Kats game notes

May 2, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release

THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Gr. Rapids Rampage (2-11) at Nashville Kats (5-7-1)
Date: Sat., May 7
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (CT)
Site: Gaylord Entertainment Center (15,711)
Officials: R-Wes Fritz, U-Paul Frerking, HL-Greg Shields, LJ-Dave Chesney, BJ-James Cole
Television: Fox Sports Net South (Tape-Delayed 10:30 pm)
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Flagship – 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: Live statistics at www.arenafootball.com.
Series Record: Nashville leads 3-2
Last Meeting: Nashville 40, Grand Rapids 27 (4/3/05)
Series Streaks: The Kats won the last meeting.
Last Week: Nashville 57, San Jose 55
Grand Rapids 58, Colorado 52
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (4th season; 38-25-1 overall)
Sparky McEwen, GR (1st season, 2-11 overall)

OVERVIEW: After starting the season 1-7, the Nashville Kats have roared to life to become the hottest team in the Arena Football League and put themselves in the thick of the playoff chase. The remarkable turnaround, highlighted by the team's current five-game unbeaten streak, is one of the most dramatic in league history, and it is a result of some key personnel moves and a team chemistry that seems to improve with each week. To stay in the hunt for a berth in the postseason, the Kats must avoid a letdown this week against a Grand Rapids team that is also improving. Despite posting a 2-11 mark this season, the Rampage have put together back-to-back impressive performances in the last two weeks, nearly upsetting New Orleans two weeks ago and upsetting division-leading Colorado last week. Grand Rapids has one of the most explosive players in all of arena football in Michael Bishop, who is closing in on the AFL's season rushing record.

THE SCHEDULES:
2005 Grand Rapids Rampage (2-11)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 28 ARIZONA Lost 38-58
Feb. 5 @ Colorado Lost 56-72
Feb. 19 AUSTIN Lost 61-73
Feb. 27 COLUMBUS Won 66-57
Mar. 6 @ Tampa Bay Lost 50-70
Mar. 13 CHICAGO Lost 45-48
Mar. 18 @ San Jose Lost 48-72
Mar. 26 @ Philadelphia Lost 41-64
Apr. 3 NASHVILE Lost 27-40
Apr. 8 @ Las Vegas Lost 28-56
Apr. 15 @ Georgia Lost 41-62
Apr. 23 NEW ORLEANS Lost 47-49
Apr. 30 COLORADO Won 58-52
May 7 @ Nashville 7:30 p.m.
May 15 @ Chicago 12 noon
May 21 LOS ANGELES 6:30 p.m.

2005 Nashville Kats (5-7-1)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 28 @ Columbus Won 47-38
Feb. 4 NEW ORLEANS Lost 34-59
Feb. 13 @ Philadelphia Lost 48-59
Feb. 19 @ New York Lost 49-62
Feb. 26 LAS VEGAS Lost 32-40
Mar. 6 @ Chicago Lost 38-45
Mar. 12 COLORADO Lost 35-42
Mar. 26 ARIZONA Lost 35-48
Apr. 3 @ Grand Rapids Won 40-27
Apr. 8 @ Dallas Tied 41-41
Apr. 17 LOS ANGELES Won 51-48
Apr. 24 TAMPA BAY Won 37-21
Apr. 29 @ San Jose Won 57-55
May 7 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 p.m.
May 13 @ Colorado 8:00 p.m.
May 22 CHICAGO 2:00 p.m.

THE SERIES: Nashville leads the series, 3-2, after securing a 40-27 win at Grand Rapids in an earlier meeting last month. That game broke a seven-game losing skid for the Kats and marked the first meeting between the teams since ArenaBowl XV in 2001, as the original Kats played their final game before being sold and moved to Georgia a month later. Nashville lost, 64-42, in ArenaBowl XV and dropped a contest earlier in the 2001 regular season to the Rampage as well. Nashville won the first two meetings between the clubs, including a 54-17 thrashing in the opening round of the 2000 playoffs, which ranks as one of the biggest playoff blowouts in AFL history.

Date Result
7/1/99 Kats 48, Rampage 47 (@ G.R.)
7/29/00 Kats 54, Rampage 17 (@ Nashville)*
6/8/01 Rampage 60, Kats 54 (@ Nashville)
8/19/01 Rampage 64, Kats 42 (@ G.R. – AB XV)*
4/3/05 Kats 40, Rampage 27 (@ G.R.)
* Denotes playoff game

SERIES NOTABLES: Grand Rapids FB/LB Travis Reece played for the Kats in their 2001 ArenaBowl season, winning the league's rushing title with 190 yards on the ground... The teams played in ArenaBowl XV on Aug. 19, 2001, with the Rampage winning, 64-42... The home team has lost three of the five games in the series.

LAST MEETING:
Nashville 40, G. Rapids 27 (@ G. Rapids – Apr. 3)
The Kats rallied from 13 points down at halftime and rolled off 26 unanswered points to claim a 40-27 win over the Grand Rapids Rampage, ending a franchise-worst seven-game losing streak. Leon Murray was 17-of-30 for 258 yards and five TD's, with two INTs in helping lead the Kats to their first win since the season's opening week. Three of his scores went to Offensive MVP Travis McGriff who had four catches for 138 yards. His TD receptions were of 34, 45 and 47 yards. The Rampage stormed out to a 13-point halftime lead on a 3-yard TD run by quarterback Michael Bishop and a pair of TD passes by the rookie signal caller.

LAST WEEK:
Grand Rapids 58, Colorado 52 (@ G. Rapids – Apr. 30)
Michael Bishop's 342 total offensive yards and seven touchdowns led the Grand Rapids Rampage to a 58-52 upset of Central Division-leading Colorado. In the final seconds, Dennison Robinson snagged an interception to seal the victory. Bishop was named Offensive Player of the Game as he finished 25-of-31 for 310 yards with five touchdowns for a 147.92 passer rating. He also rushed five times for 32 yards with two ground scores. His favorite target was Ironman of the Game Dialleo Burks, who caught nine balls for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Anthony Hines caught seven passes for 105 yards and scored on a 38-yard touchdown. It marked the first time since February 23, 2003 that two Rampage players had 100-yard receiving games.

Nashville 57, San Jose 55 (@ San Jose – Apr. 29)
The Nashville Kats upset the heavily-favored San Jose SaberCats on the road, 57-55, to run their league-best unbeaten streak to five games. Leon Murray, who finished 18-of-36 for 235 yards, tied a career high with eight touchdown passes and did not throw an interception for the third straight game. He threw three of his TD's to former SaberCat Fred Coleman, including a 13-yarder with 4:21 to go that gave Nashville an eight-point lead. San Jose, which boasts one of the most potent offenses in league history, cut the lead to two with just :14 left on a three-yard run by Steve Warren. However, the subsequent two-point conversion failed, and the Kats hung on for the win. Kats DS Kahlil Carter intercepted two passes on the night.

THE COACHES:
Grand Rapids - Sparky McEwen, 1st Season
2-11 (.154) overall
McEwen became the Grand Rapids Rampage's fourth head coach in team history on August 13, 2004. He was the Rampage's offensive coordinator during the team's best three years on the field (2001-03), which included winning ArenaBowl XV in his first season. During those three years, the Rampage's offense scored more points and gained more yards and points than any other team in the AFL. For 2004, McEwen was the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator for the Okalahoma City Yard Dawgz of arenafootball2. McEwen was a quarterback on the Rampage's inaugural 1998 season. He appeared in five games and had a 2-1 record as starting quarterback with 477 passing yards. McEwen was the starting quarterback for Ferris State University in Big Rapids from 1987-90.

Nashville – Pat Sperduto, 4th season
38-25-1 (.602) overall
After a three-season absence, Pat Sperduto returns as a head coach in the Arena Football League. He has spent the last four seasons as an assistant on the staff of the Tennessee Titans. He joined the NFL club after spending five seasons with the old Nashville Kats. He compiled a 32-18 record as head coach the last three seasons and led his team to back-to-back appearances in the ArenaBowl in 2000 and 2001. Sperduto replaced Eddie Khayat as head coach in 1999 and posted the best record of seven AFL coaches who took over new teams in 2000. Sperduto spent his first two years as defensive coordinator for the Kats and was elevated to assistant head coach in 1998. He is a three-time ArenaBowl World Champion, winning twice as a player for the Tampa Bay Storm (1991 and '93) and once as an assistant coach with the Storm (1994). Sperduto began his professional career as a player with the Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions before joining the Tampa Bay Storm in the AFL from 1991-93.

2005 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category Rampage Kats
Scoring Offense (Rank) 46.6 (14th) 41.8 (17th)
Scoring Defense 59.5 (17th) 45.0 (1st)
Total Offense 287.7 (7th) 257.5 (17th)
Total Defense 283.1 (9th) 273.7 (6th)
Pass Offense 238.2 (15th) 226.7 (17th)
Pass Defense 268.2 (11th) 253.0 (6th)
Rushing Offense 49.5 (1st) 30.8 (4th)
Rushing Defense 14.8 (3rd) 20.7 (9th)
Interceptions 7 (16th) 16 (t-4th)
Turnover Margin -12 (16th) +8 (2nd)
Kickoff Return Avg. 19.7 (4th) 17.8 (7th)
Kickoffs–Opp.Avg. Start 12.5 (11th) 14.4 (4th)
Sacks By 8 (16th) 19 (1st)
Sacks Against 22 (15th) 12 (t-8th)

NOTES:
STREAKING – After going 1-7 to start the season, the Kats are the hottest team in the AFL and are now in the midst of a five-game unbeaten streak – the longest current streak in the AFL. They also have won consecutive games for the first time since 2001. The team followed its 40-27 win over Grand Rapids on April 3 with a rare 41-41 tie at Dallas. They won again in a 51-48 victory over Los Angeles three weeks ago, then got a big 37-21 victory over Tampa Bay the next week. The Kats followed that with their biggest win of the year, a 57-55 victory over defending champ San Jose. The five-game unbeaten streak ties a franchise regular season record, set in the expansion season of 1997, and it is tied for the second-longest such streak in the AFL this season (Colorado's seven-game winning streak is tops). The earlier seven-game skid had been the longest current losing streak in the AFL, and spanned 64 days.

PLAYOFF POSSIBILITIES – The Kats are still in the picture for what at one point seemed an impossible goal – the playoffs. In order to secure a playoff spot, the Kats must win their remaining three games and get some help. Any combination of two of the following must happen for Nashville to get into the postseason: either Colorado, Chicago, San Jose or Los Angeles must lose their remaining three games, or Las Vegas must lose at least two of their last three contests. Colorado, Chicago, San Jose and Los Angeles each have eight wins, and can confirm a spot ahead of Nashville with one more win. Las Vegas has seven wins and must win two of their final three games to stay ahead of Nashville. The Kats need two of those five teams to stumble down the stretch, and that may not be such a longshot considering the recent play of some of those squads and the difficulty of some of their remaining schedules. Colorado, for instance, has lost three in a row and has a brutally tough slate in the next three weeks. Las Vegas also faces an uphill climb to win their next three games. Here is a rundown of each team's remaining schedule:

San Jose SaberCats (8-5)
Date Opponent
May 7 LOS ANGELES (8-5)
May 14 @ Arizona (4-9)
May 21 GEORGIA (9-4)

Chicago Rush (8-5)
Date Opponent
May 7 @ Arizona (4-9)
May 15 GRAND RAPIDS (2-11)
May 22 @ Nashville (5-7-1)

Colorado Crush (8-5)
Date Opponent
May 8 @ New Orleans (8-5)
May 13 NASHVILLE (5-7-1)
May 21 @ New York (8-5)

Los Angeles Avengers (8-5)
Date Opponent
May 7 @ San Jose (8-5)
May 14 LAS VEGAS (7-6)
May 21 @ Grand Rapids (2-11)

Las Vegas Gladiators (7-6)
Date Opponent
May 7 DALLAS (7-5-1)
May 14 @ Los Angeles (8-5)
May 22 ARIZONA (4-9)

Nashville Kats (5-7-1)
Date Opponent
May 7 GRAND RAPIDS (2-11)
May 14 @ Colorado (8-5)
May 21 CHICAGO (8-5)

APRIL FLOWERS – Nashville's unbeaten month of April, in which the team went 4-0-1, was one of the two most successful months in team history. Only May 1998, when the Kats won four in a row to start the season, has the franchise gone undefeated in a month. Nashville is now 8-3-1 all-time in the month of April.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME – After starting the year by dropping their first four games at home, the Kats have won their last two games at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, beating Los Angeles, 51-48, and Tampa Bay, 37-21, in consecutive weeks last month. If Nashville can win its last two games at home (this week vs. Grand Rapids and May 22 vs. Chicago), they will finish with a .500 record at home in 2005.

STRETCH RUN – Pat Sperduto-coached teams have been traditionally very strong down the stretch. In his three years at the helm of the previous Kats organization, the team went a combined 7-2 in the last three regular season games of those three years (1999-2001).

U-TURN – The Kats were written off entirely by most after starting the season at 1-7, but the team has posted one of the biggest turnarounds in league history in the last five games. Here is the Kats' record since some key points in the season:

The Bye Week.............................................4-1-1
Midpoint of Season......................................4-0-1
Acquiring Rupert Grant.................................4-1-1
Firing Tres Sullivan......................................4-1-1
Acquiring T.T. Toliver...................................3-0-1
Return of Leon Murray from injury.................4-1-1

SACK ATTACK – Despite only getting two QB sacks in the first five weeks of the season, Nashville has exploded for 17 in the last eight games and they lead AFL with 19 sacks overall. The Kats are also averaging more sacks per play than any other team in the league. Five players (Henry Taylor, James Baron, Levelle Brown, Joe Minucci and Rupert Grant) rank among the league's top 21 in sacks. Taylor leads the way with 4.5 and Minucci, a rookie, is next with four, while the other three each have three. Nashville is the only team to have more than two players among the top 21.

POINTS TAKEN – The Kats' defense leads the league in points allowed, giving up an average of just 45 points per game. From halftime of the first Grand Rapids game five weeks ago through last week's win over Tampa Bay, the Kats have given up only 21 touchdowns on their opponents' last 53 offensive possessions. In the last four games, the Kats have given up TD's on only 39.7% of opponents' possessions, far below the league average of 60%. The 55 points given up to the explosive San Jose offense last week were the most surrendered by the Kats since week four. Still, considering San Jose entered the game as the league's highest scoring team and had scored more than 80 points in consecutive games, 55 points was a major accomplishment. Nashville's defense did not allow a single point in 55:20, spanning from halftime of the first Grand Rapids game until late in the first half of the Dallas game, and they pitched a shutout in seven periods in the month of April. The 21 points Nashville gave up to Tampa Bay two weeks ago tied the team record for fewest allowed in a game.

RALLY KATS – Nashville has rallied from a second-half deficit in five of the six games they have won or tied this season. In fact, the win over Tampa two weeks ago marked the first time all season the Kats have not trailed at all in the second half. After finding it difficult to rally after falling behind during their seven-game losing streak, Nashville has done so on a regular basis since breaking the skid. The Kats rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat Grand Rapids, 40-27, on April 3. They were down 11 in the fourth quarter at Dallas and came back to take the lead before eventually ending the contest in a tie. Three weeks ago, they were down, 48-43, to L.A. before scoring the winning TD with nine seconds to play. Last week, Nashville trailed San Jose until late in the third quarter.

CLUTCH PERFORMERS – Since starting their current five-game unbeaten streak last month, the Kats have outscored their opponents 126-80 in the second half. The strong play in the final 30 minutes of those games has been a big reason for the team's turnaround after fizzling during the last two quarters during their earlier seven-game losing streak. In fact, Nashville was forced to play comeback nearly the entire time during their skid. Only three times in the seven-game slide did the Kats hold a lead in the second half. In a total of 210 second-half minutes during those seven losses, Nashville only led for 17:14 of that time. Until the win at Grand Rapids on April 3, the Kats did not hold a lead past the six-minute mark of the third quarter since their week one win over Columbus. The Kats were outscored, 182-143, in the second half of their first eight games this year.

MURRAY ON FIRE – After struggling or missing time due to injury for much of the season, Nashville Kats quarterback Leon Murray has been impressive during the team's five-game unbeaten streak. In the last three games, Murray has completed 50-of-86 passes for 628 yards, 15 touchdowns and no interceptions. Since the unbeaten streak began five weeks ago, he is 89-of-156 for 1,397 yards, 23 TD's and four INT's. Murray missed all or part of four games earlier this season with a knee injury that forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery, and he has also battled sternum and shoulder injuries as well. For the year, Murray has completed 57.6 percent of his throws for 2,192 yards, 38 touchdowns and 10 INT's. He has thrown for 131 touchdowns and 7,576 yards in his third year in the league. Backup QB Tony Zimmerman, who made three starts while Murray was recovering from his injury, was released four weeks ago. Scott Rislov, a rookie from San Jose State who has not taken an AFL snap, is now serving as the backup. Bill Whittemore, another rookie who played collegiately at Kansas, was moved back to the practice squad last week.

KAT BURGLARS – The Kats are second in the AFL in turnover ratio with a +8 mark. Nashville forced three turnovers last week – a net recovery by Henry Taylor and two interceptions by Kahlil Carter, who leads the team and is tied for second in the league with six picks overall. Six other players – DeRon Jenkins (four), Darryl Hammond, Levelle Brown, Lindsay Fleshman, Jarrick Hillery and the now-departed Angel Estrada have also recorded interceptions this season. Offensively, the Kats have only turned the ball over 17 times – the third lowest number of any team in the league.

T.T. MEANS TRIPLE THREAT – 2004 All-Ironman selection T.T. Toliver, who was acquired by the Kats last month in a trade with Tampa Bay, has been an excellent addition since coming to the Kats. In fact, he was named Offensive MVP in each of his first three games he played with the team, and he has scored two touchdowns in all four contests he has played in since the trade. Toliver, a WR/DB, has 17 receptions for 300 yards and seven TD's since coming to Nashville. He also has eight rushes for 25 yards and a TD, and he ran in a key two-point conversion against L.A. in a three-point win three weeks ago. Toliver caught four passes for 93 yards and two TD's last week against San Jose. In his fourth season in the AFL, Toliver has been one of the league's best all-around players in the last two seasons. He was named to the AFL's All-Ironman Team after last season, when he led the Storm with 2,095 all-purpose yards. He returned four kickoffs for scores, tied for the team lead in interceptions with three and finished second on the squad with 14 touchdown receptions. Toliver also ranked third on the team in receptions (64), receiving yards (749) and tackles (54.5) in 2004. The Bethune-Cookman product was a member of Tampa Bay's 2003 ArenaBowl championship squad, and he has spent time on NFL practice squads with the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Bucaneers and St. Louis Rams. Toliver got a late start to this season after suffering a knee injury in training camp that kept him sidelined for the first four weeks of the year.

THIRD AND SHORT – Nashville quarterbacks are a perfect six-for-six in running for first downs on third-down attempts. Leon Murray leads the league in that category by moving the chains all four times he has run the ball on third down, while Tony Zimmerman also picked up the first in both of his third down rushing attempts.

MR. SHUT DOWN – Kats DS Kahlil Carter, a third-year player from Southern Arkansas, had arguably the best April of any defender in the league. He posted a team-high 34.5 tackles, four interceptions and 10 passes defended in five games last month. He also forced a fumble and recovered one to help preserve a tie at Dallas. He was named Defensive MVP in consecutive upset wins over Tampa Bay (10 tackles, 5 pass breakups) and San Jose (8 tackles, 2 interceptions). He is part of a defense that has only allowed 21 TD's in the last 53 possessions by opponents (39.7%), dating back to April 3 win over Grand Rapids.

DOGGHEAD MAY RETURN - FB/LB Rupert "Dogghead" Grant may return from an ankle injury that kept him out of last week's big win at San Jose. The sixth-year vet has made a triumphant return to Nashville after being acquired in a trade from Orlando in March, and the team is 4-1-1 since his acquisition. He became the team's all-time leading rusher last month, surpassing Jason Bratton's old record of 328. Grant now has 347 rushing yards with the Kats. He also broke the team's all-time mark for most rushing TD's with 19 after scoring the winning TD against L.A. three weeks ago on a one-yard run with nine seconds left. Grant has been a factor on both sides of the ball for the Kats since joining the team, scoring on a one-yard run against Arizona and earning Defensive MVP honors against Grand Rapids after notching a sack and helping make a key fourth-down stop in the win. He scored a TD and made 4.5 tackles at Dallas on April 8 and scored the winning points in the win over L.A. This season, Grant has 21 tackles with three quarterback sacks in seven games for the Predators and five for the Kats. The veteran from Howard University also has six touchdowns rushing, and he has continued to add to his reputation as one of the best blocking fullbacks in all of arena football.

STATISTICALLY CHALLENGED – Despite putting up a season-high 57 points in the upset at San Jose last week, the Kats' offense simply can't be found on the league leaders list. Nashville ranks dead last in the league in points per game and total yards per game. They also rank last in yards per play and passing yards per game. Quarterback Leon Murray ranks 19th in the AFL in passer rating, and the Kats do not have a player among the league's top 20 in receptions, receiving yards or kickoff returns. Nashville has only gotten three 100-yard receiving games out of its players all season, with Darryl Hammond, Travis McGriff and T.T. Toliver each going over the century mark once this year. The Kats still have not had a QB throw for more than 300 yards in a game so far this season.

HAMMOND KEEPS ROLLING – Kats WR/LB Darryl Hammond, who is in his 15th year in the AFL (the longest tenure in Arena Football League history), continues to defy Father Time, as he is in the midst of an outstanding 2005 season. Hammond has 51 receptions for 497 yards, eight TD's and 34.5 tackles in 11 games played this season. He caught four passes for 42 yards and two scores at San Jose last week. Earlier this year, he became just the second player in league history to have 8,000 receiving yards and 30 interceptions in a career a few weeks ago. San Jose WR/LB Barry Wagner is the only other player to have accomplished the feat. Hammond now has 8,324 receiving yards and 30 INT's. Earlier this season, he became the third player in AFL history to surpass 600 stops (Wagner and Grand Rapids' Damon Mason are the other two). He is fifth in AFL history with 776 career receptions and ranks ninth on the league's all-time receiving-yards gained in a career with 8,324 yards. Hammond has returned six interceptions for touchdowns in his career, tied for third-most in the AFL, and he ranks third in the league for career tackles with 624.5. The veteran will be featured in Sports Illustrated later this week.

BUMPS & BRUISES –DS Tony Scott OL/DL (quadriceps) and Tim Morabito (concussion) are still out. FB/LB Rupert Grant is questionable to return from his ankle injury. OL/DL Wes Stephens (shoulder) is eligible to come off of IR this week and will be evaluated in the next few days.

POUNDING THE ROCK – Nashville is once again starting to rely on its ground game to churn out key yards. Last week marked the fourth consecutive game in which the Kats have run the ball 10 or more times, as they carried 13 times for 41 yards. The renewed focus on the ground attack has come after the Kats' ground game was slowed during the team's seven-game losing streak. After running for a whopping 82 yards on 22 carries in the team's opening week win over Columbus, Nashville had averaged 46 yards per game on the ground through the season's first four weeks. After that, however, the Kats ran the ball much less. In fact, after carrying the ball 10 or more times in each of the first four games, the Kats ran more than 10 times in only one of the next five contests leading up to the game at Dallas on April 8 when they broke loose for 51 yards. Nashville's ground game is ranked fourth in the league with an average of 30.8 yards rushing per game, and their 27 rushing TD's is third in the AFL. Dan Alexander, Leon Murray, Rupert Grant and Levelle Brown are all listed among the AFL's top 21 rushers.

RETURN OF THE IRONMAN - WR/DB Jarrick Hillery is one of the Arena Football League's top Ironmen, and he has shown why the last three weeks. Hillery was named Ironman of the game three weeks ago against L.A. after taking back two kickoffs for TD's and racking up four kick returns for 169 yards in his first game back from a hamstring injury. He also had a 13-yard reception and two tackles in the game. Hillery scored on an eight-yard TD run in the win over Tampa two weeks ago, and last week he ran the ball twice for 15 yards, caught three passes for 23 yards and a TD and had two kick returns for 51 yards. He has excelled in all facets of the game in his first five years in the league, and he has shown his versatility in the seven games he has played this year, catching 28 passes for 240 yards and six TD's, while also carrying the ball eight times for 34 yards and a TD on offense. Defensively, he has intercepted one pass, broke up another and has 19 stops. He also has had 13 kickoff returns for 332 yards (a 25.5-yard average) on the year. The former Tennessee State star was selected to the All-Ironman team in 2001 and was an All-Rookie selection in 2000, while with the old Kats.

TITANS CONNECTIONS – Five players on Nashville's roster have spent time with the Tennessee Titans organization. FB/LB Dan Alexander and DS DeRon Jenkins saw extensive playing time with the NFL club, while DS Rober' Freeman, OL/DL Aaron McConnell and WR/DB Rich Musinski were all in camp with the Titans at some point. Head coach Pat Sperduto has been on the Titans' staff the last four seasons, and FB/LB Levelle Brown is the brother of Titans' starting tailback Chris Brown.

BARON OF DEFENSE – OL/DL James Baron is widely known as one of the AFL's all-time greatest lineman, and he is showing why in his return to the Kats this season. After sitting out the first two games of the year with an ankle injury and having his streak of 131 consecutive games played come to an end, Baron has returned, registering 10 tackles, four stops for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a safety in his 11 games this season. Baron has been named the league's defensive player of the year once and lineman of the year twice. The former Virginia Tech standout earned all-Arena honors six times (1997-2002), including the first-team five times. He is a two-time member of the all-Ironman team (1999, 2001), and he has 39.5 career sacks — the fifth-highest total in league history. His 24.5 career tackles for loss is the second-highest total in AFL history, and he was named to the AFL's 15th Anniversary all-time team at the 2001 ArenaBowl. Baron, who played the last three seasons with Chicago, was one of only two players to play in all 80 games with the previous Kats franchise, including 10 postseason contests (joining quarterback Andy Kelly). He is Nashville's franchise leader in sacks (26.5), and he also holds team records for sacks in one season (7.0) and sacks in one game (2.5).

COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH – The Kats are second in the league in fourth-down conversions, having converted 14-of-23 fourth down plays (61 percent).

KICKING AND SCREAMING – The Kats' kicking game has been a roller coaster. Gary Kral started the season, and was only 3-for-17 on field goal tries in 2005. Rookie kicker Matt Hutto came on board for one week and missed three field goal attempts, including a potential game-winner from 31 yards in overtime. He also missed two extra points. Three weeks ago, the Kats added former Austin kicker Tony Dodson, who has made 12-of-18 PAT's while going three-for-six on field goals, including a team-record 56-yarder against L.A. Kats kickers are a combined 6-for-27 (22.2%) on field goal attempts this season, ranking them last in the league in that category.

IN THE RED ZONE – The Kats have been good in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 39 of 53 trips (72.3 percent) inside the 10-yard line this season, ranking them fifth in the AFL in that category. Defensively, Nashville ranks third in keeping opponents out of the end zone once they get inside the 10, allowing TD's on only 42 of 63 trips inside the red zone this season.

SCOUTING GRAND RAPIDS
Heading into their last meeting at the halfway point of the season, the Kats and Rampage each had one win and both went through a shake up within their coaching staffs. Since that time, the Kats have not lost and the Rampage had not won until last week when they upset Colorado. Grand Rapids hopes to build on their huge win with another victory against a divisional opponent. The Rampage rank seventh in total offense and first in rushing offense. The problem for Grand Rapids is that they rank last in scoring defense and third to last in passing offense. Regardless, quarterback Michael Bishop looks like he has responded from his benching two weeks ago after coming up big for the Rampage last week. Bishop's favorite receiver, OS Anthony Hines, broke out last time the two teams played and hopes to continue his offensive surge. DS Damon Mason leads the AFL in tackles and is always a force on the defensive side of the ball.

QB MICHAEL BISHOP – Bishop has struggled through the 2005 season and was nearly benched last week because of the teams 1-11 record. Instead, Bishop was named Offensive Player of the Game as he finished 25-of-31 for 310 yards with five touchdowns for a 147.92 passer rating. He also rushed five times for 32 yards with two rushing TDs. With the 32 rushing yards, Bishop is now second all-time in AFL history in season-season rushing with 414 yards. He needs just 16 yards to pass Major Harris' league record of 429 yards. Bishop's two rushing TDs place him with 16, which is the second-most ever by a quarterback in a single season to Adrian McPherson's 19 last season with the Indiana Firebirds.

DS DAMON MASON – Mason is tied for the AFL lead in tackles with 99.5 on the season. Mason is also among the all-time leaders in tackles in the AFL. Mason earned his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Game honor last week after leading the Rampage in tackles for his sixth straight game since joining the team. He finished with 10.5 stops and six pass breakups. Mason did not play in the first seven games for the Rampage, but instead for the Orlando Predetors.

OS ANTHONY HINES – The last time the Rampage and Kats squared off, Hines was in his first game as the permanent starter at offensive specialist after the departure of Chris Jackson. Hines caught 10 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. The second-year player has stepped up in the role since that time and just passed Hines as the 2005 leader in receptions and yards receiving for the Rampage. Hines caught seven passes for 105 yards and one TD last week and teamed with teammate Dialleo Burks for 100 receiving yards each.

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 2, 2005

• Nashville Kats game notes - Nashville Kats
• Georgia aims to clinch Southern crown this weekend - AFL I
• Gladiators' gamble comes up short in Chicago - Las Vegas Gladiators

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